Missouri lawmakers have failed to enact a bill to allow for exceptions to a requirement that some businesses use the federal E-Verify program to check whether job applicants are authorized to work in the U.S.

State law requires businesses with government contracts, tax breaks or grants to use E-Verify.

The proposal would have allowed businesses to opt out if doing so would be costly.

The measure, which lawmakers called the Big Government Get Off My Back Act, also would have extended a package of tax incentives to small businesses. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees would be able to claim a $10,000 tax deduction for each job they create that pays above their county’s average wage.

9:10 p.m.

Thirsty for a beer at a ballgame or rock concert? There soon could be an app for that.

Missouri lawmakers on Wednesday overrode a veto by Gov. Jay Nixon to enact a law allowing entertainment facilities to sell alcoholic drinks through mobile applications.

Customers could tap an app on their phones to place orders from concession stands, then show proper identification when the drinks are delivered to their seats.

Nixon cited a different section of the bill when vetoing it. The governor says the bill would allow the Missouri Wine and Grape Board to hire attorneys to defend the interests of Missouri winemakers in out-of-state lawsuits. Nixon described that as an expenditure of public funds for a private purpose that is prohibited by the Missouri Constitution.

But an analysis by an agricultural economist at the University of Missouri puts the cost near $12 million.

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association says Arkansas is the only other state with a similar tax deduction.

8:30 p.m.

Companies that switch to employee ownership will be eligible for a new tax break under a measure that was enacted by lawmakers after the governor vetoed it.

The Republican-led Legislature voted Wednesday to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the measure. It will allow businesses to get an income tax deduction of 50 percent of their net capital gain earned for switching to employee ownership.

Companies can claim the deduction if employees own at least 30 percent of securities.

The deduction expires in 2023.

Lawmakers also voted to enact legislation that will allow industry-backed commissioners to replace public representatives on the Clean Water Commission.

8:20 p.m.

Missouri lawmakers have overridden a veto of a wide-ranging guns bill that will let more people carry concealed weapons and give them greater legal rights to defend themselves.

The Republican-led Legislature enacted the law Wednesday by a 24-6 Senate vote and a 112-41 vote in the House. Both exceeded the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.

The legislation will allow most people to carry concealed guns without needing a permit. That means they won’t have to go through the training currently required for permit holders. Missouri will join 10 other states with what supporters describe as a “constitutional carry” right.

The measure also expands legal protections for those who use deadly force to defend themselves in both public and private places.

7:15 p.m.

Some Missouri Medicaid patients could face new fees for missing doctors’ appointments or unnecessarily using emergency rooms.

Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to enact the law Wednesday.

But it’s uncertain whether it can actually take effect.

The legislation authorizes a $5 fee for missing two doctor’s appointments within three years, $10 for a third and $20 for a fourth missed appointment.

A spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says its regulations don’t allow fees for missed appointments.

The new Missouri law also imposes an $8 co-payment on Medicaid patients who use hospital emergency rooms for non-emergencies.

Nixon has said the bill “would needlessly punish” people.

Some Republican lawmakers say it would provide an incentive for people make better medical decisions.

7 p.m.

Missouri senators have voted to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill allowing more people to carry concealed guns and giving them greater legal protections for defending themselves.

The Republican-led Senate voted 24-6 Wednesday to override the veto of the Democratic governor. The measure now goes to the House, where a similar two-thirds majority vote is needed to complete the override.

The legislation will allow most people to carry concealed guns without needing a permit. That means they won’t have to go through the training currently required for permit holders. Missouri will join 10 other states with what supporters describe as a “constitutional carry” right.

The measure also expands legal protections for those who use deadly force to defend themselves in both public and private places.

5 p.m.

Missouri lawmakers have overridden Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a measure to require voters to present photo identification at the polls.

The Republican-led Legislature overturned the Democratic governor’s veto Wednesday after GOP senators forced an end to debate.

Lawmakers’ action is the first step to enact the policy in the state. Voters on Nov. 8 also must vote to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow for a photo identification law in order for the policy to be enacted.

That’s needed because the Missouri Supreme Court has previously found voter photo ID laws to be unconstitutional.

Supporters say photo ID is needed to prevent fraud. Opponents say that’s not a problem in Missouri, and it will disenfranchise the elderly, disabled people and others who might struggle to obtain the needed identification.

4:05 p.m.

A newly enacted law will exempt Missouri livestock owners from having to pay for damage caused by wandering cattle and horses unless they were negligent.

The House voted 114-40 Wednesday to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the bill, following a 24-7 vote in the Senate.

Under previous law, livestock owners were responsible for covering the costs of any damage caused by their escaped animals.

The new law will hold them financially responsible only if they are negligent. Nixon says it wrongly shifts the repair costs to innocent people whose property gets damaged by someone else’s livestock.

Sen. Mike Parson is the sponsor of the new law. He says it’s not fair to make farmers pay if their animals get loose because a fence has been damaged by someone else.

3:35 p.m.

Dance classes and karate lessons could become tax-free under a bill enacted by lawmakers over Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto.

The legislation approved Wednesday ads “instructional classes” to a list of items exempt from sales taxes.

The Democratic governor had vetoed the bill because he said it could cost the state $8 million in lost taxes this year and an equal amount for local governments.

Some lawmakers dispute that estimate. An analysis by legislative research staff put the potential cost at over $100,000.

Sales tax already is charged at places of amusement and recreation.

The bill seeks to reverse the effects of a 2008 state Supreme Court ruling, which said a fitness center needed to pay taxes on fees for personal training services.

2:05 p.m.

Legislation to allow big trucks to drive closer together using new technology has died in Missouri.

The Republican-led House on Wednesday voted 100-57 in favor of the bill, nine votes short of what’s needed to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto.

The measure would have allowed the state Highways and Transportation Commission to create a testing program in which trucks can drive within 50 feet of each other using technology that syncs the trucks to brake or accelerate with each other.

Nixon says that could be dangerous, and isn’t worth the risk to highway drivers.

The legislation also would have allowed transportation vehicles to flash red and blue lights on highways. The goal was to protect workers by signaling to other drivers to slow down, but Nixon said that’s confusing.

1:15 p.m.

The Missouri House has taken the first step toward overriding Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

The House voted 115-41 Wednesday to override the veto. That sends the measure to the Senate, where a similar two-thirds vote is needed to complete the override.

The legislation would require voters to show a photo ID starting in 2017, if a separate proposed constitutional amendment authorizing a photo ID mandate is approved on the November ballot.

Missouri’s proposed requirement contains numerous exceptions. If voters swear they don’t have photo IDs, they would still be allowed to vote by showing other forms of identification. The bill also requires the state to pay for photo IDs for those lacking them.

12:40 p.m.

A Democratic state senator from St. Louis is refusing to stand while her colleagues recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the Missouri Capitol.

Sen. Jamilah Nasheed says she sat while others said the pledge at the start of Wednesday’s short session as a form of protest.

She says she acted in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has refused to stand for the national anthem all season in protest of police brutality and racial oppression in the United States.

Nasheed says she wants to call attention to those issues and isn’t “anti-America.” Nasheed’s protest was met with silence in the chamber, unlike Kaepernick, who has been booed for kneeling during the anthem.

But Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder says the pledge is an opportunity for unity.

The two bills are among about 20 vetoed measures on the agenda Wednesday for lawmakers in a short session devoted to overrides.

One bill would allow most people to carry concealed guns, even if they haven’t gone through training required for permits. The measure also would expand legal protections for those who use deadly force to defend themselves.

Another bill would require voters to show photo identification at the polls, if a separate proposed constitutional amendment also is adopted on the November ballot.

Veto overrides require a two-thirds vote of both chambers. Republicans hold supermajorities, so they can override the Democratic governor if they stick together.

11 a.m.

Gun control advocates and gun rights supporters are fanning out through the Missouri Capitol, lobbying lawmakers on a bill that would allow most people to carry concealed weapons without needing permits.

The National Rifle Association set up shop in the Rotunda between the House and Senate and dispatched scores of volunteers to talk to lawmakers in support of the legislation. The organization distributed signs saying, “NRA. Stand and Fight.”

Meanwhile, about 150 people rallied with the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Participants spoke about family members who were fatally shot, and chapter leader Becky Morgan says the group will oppose lawmakers who vote to enact the bill when they’re up for election.

12:35 a.m.

Missouri lawmakers are poised to relax the state’s gun laws and tighten its voting requirements as they consider overriding Gov. Jay Nixon’s vetoes.

The Republican-led Legislature will convene Wednesday for a short session devoted to veto overrides.

The top vetoed bills include a proposal to allow most people to carry concealed guns even if they haven’t gone through training required for permits. The measure also would expand legal protections for those who use deadly force to defend themselves.

Another bill up for a potential veto override would require voters to show photo identification at the polls, if a proposed constitutional amendment also is adopted on the November ballot.

Both the gun and voting measures originally passed with enough support to override Nixon if lawmakers stick to their original votes.

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